Open-concept, genuinely good, and about an hour from your hotel each way. Admission is $49 and a proper visit takes four to five hours, most of the reward in the first two before the heat lands.
Prices and opening times checked with the operatorLast checked 2 Aug 2026
What it costs
The verdict first
Excellent zoo, expensive morning, and an hour from your hotel.
Singapore Zoo is the best animal attraction on the island and one of the few places in Singapore that a repeat visitor will still enjoy.
The reason is the layout. Most enclosures use water, moats and dense planting instead of bars, so you look across a gap at an animal rather than through a fence at one. Orangutans move overhead on ropes rather than sitting behind glass. It reads as a park you have been allowed into, not a collection you are being shown.
- Adult
- $49
- Child 3-12
- $34
- Open
- Daily 8:30am-6:00pm, last entry 5:00pm
- Allow
- 4-5 hours, plus about an hour each way
- Address
- 80 Mandai Lake Road, Mandai Wildlife EAST
- Tram
- Included in admission
That is the trade. If you have four days in Singapore and you are travelling with children, book it. If you have two days and no children, the zoo is competing with Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay waterfront, both of which are twenty minutes away and one of which is free to walk through. In that case, skip the zoo, or come out in the evening for Night Safari instead.
Tickets: the prices, and when the pass is actually cheaper
The pass maths turns on how many days you have at Mandai.
Single admission against pass prices, standard non-resident rates
Children under 3 enter free when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult over 21. Singapore residents aged 60 and over pay $25 for Singapore Zoo. The tram that loops the zoo is included in the ticket, which is worth knowing before somebody tries to sell you a tram add-on.
Zoo plus Night Safari
$107 as two singles, $88 on the 2-Attractions Pass. It is the pairing most visitors want anyway.
Zoo plus Bird Paradise
$98 as two singles, $88 on the pass. But the two parks are at different entrances, so budget the shuttle time.
Five wildlife parks over five days
$256 as singles, $158 on the 6-Attractions 5-Day Pass, per adult. This is the only pass that is a clear buy.
Six attractions in one day
$118 for one day. The arithmetic is spectacular and the day is not. Do not plan this.
Six attractions count towards a Destination Pass: Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, Bird Paradise, Night Safari, Rainforest Wild Adventure and Exploria. Two parks in one day is comfortable. Three is a route march and you will stop looking at animals by the third. The pass that actually earns its money is the 5-Day version, because it lets you split the reserve across two or three separate trips out to Mandai and still come in under the single-ticket total.
Hours, and how long the zoo really takes
Be at the gate for 8:30am. The first two hours are the ones you came for.
- Open
- Daily 8:30am-6:00pm
- Last entry
- 5:00pm
- Walk it properly
- 4-5 hours, one feeding and one presentation
- Rushed version
- 3 hours using the tram
Mandai sits against a reservoir and a forest catchment, the humidity builds through the morning, and by one in the afternoon a lot of the larger mammals have found shade and stopped doing anything interesting. The first two hours are the ones you came for. You can cut the visit to three hours by using the tram to skip the long stretch out to Wild Africa and back. Under three hours and you are paying $49 to jog.
The zones, and the three that justify the ticket
Organised by region and habitat, which is why it does not feel like a corridor of cages.
Fragile Forest
A walk-in mesh dome where the animals are not separated from you at all. It is the one to do first and the one most people rush.
- What you see
- Fruit bats overhead, lemurs and mouse deer at ankle height, sloths above
- Best before
- 11am
- Time needed
- Ten minutes standing still beats an hour of walking
Primate Kingdom
The zoo's actual signature. Free-ranging Bornean orangutans move on a high rope network rather than in an enclosure, so you watch them travel above the footpath.
- Highlight
- Free-ranging Bornean orangutans overhead
- Best before
- 11am
- Shelter
- Outdoors, under canopy
RepTopia
A properly designed reptile house rather than a row of tanks, and the one indoor zone that is genuinely welcome when the afternoon heat lands.
- Best time
- Afternoon, once the heat builds
- Shelter
- Indoors
- Pairs with
- Reptile Kingdom, also sheltered
KidzWorld
Carries the water playground, and it is the reason families stay all day.
- Budget
- An hour, if anyone under twelve is with you
- Bring
- A change of clothes
The catchYou will lose an hour here, willingly. Do not schedule as if you won't.
The current zone line-up
| Zone | When to do it |
|---|---|
| Fragile Forest, Primate Kingdom, Elephants of Asia | Do first, all better before 11am |
| RepTopia, Reptile Kingdom | Save for the heat, both sheltered |
| KidzWorld | Budget an hour if anyone is under twelve |
| Wild Africa and the far loop | Use the tram, it is included in your ticket |
| Australasia, Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia, Tortoise Shell-ter, Treetops Trail, Animal Behaviour and Enrichment Centre | Fit around the above |
Feeding sessions and presentations
A fixed daily timetable. Build the day around these.
Animal feeding sessions, daily times
| Feeding | Times |
|---|---|
| Giraffe | 10:45am, 1:50pm, 3:45pm |
| Lories and lorikeets | 11:00am, 3:30pm |
| Shorebirds | 10:00am, 4:30pm |
| Nyala | 11:15am, 2:45pm |
| Giant tortoise | 1:15pm |
| River Giants, Forest Lodge | 10:00am |
Checked 2 Aug 2026
Presentations
| Presentation | Where | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Splash Safari | Shaw Amphitheatre | 10:30am, 5:00pm |
| Into the Wild | Shaw Amphitheatre |
Checked 2 Aug 2026
Breakfast in the Wild
The sit-down buffet where orangutans appear on a platform beside the restaurant. It is the zoo's most photographed experience and it is priced accordingly.
- Price
- $96 adult, sold as a bundle with admission
- Format
- Sit-down buffet, orangutans on a platform beside the restaurant
- Verdict
- Worth it once, if the animals are the point of your trip
Getting there: no MRT station, and that is fine
Every route ends with a bus, and the bus is short.
There is no MRT station at Mandai and there will not be one. The mistake visitors make is assuming a taxi is the only sane option; it is not, and the public route is close to free once you are already on the network.
Ride the MRT to a connecting station
Four stations connect: Khatib (NS14), Ang Mo Kio (NS16), Springleaf (TE4) and Choa Chu Kang (NS4).
Pick the shuttle or the public bus
The M2 Khatib Bus from Khatib is the reserve's own service, reaching Mandai in about 20 minutes for $2.50. Bus 138 from Ang Mo Kio or Springleaf, and bus 927 from Choa Chu Kang, are the cheap alternatives.
Alight at the right stop
For Singapore Zoo, alight at the Singapore Zoo stop, 48131. For Bird Paradise and Rainforest Wild Adventure WEST, stay on to Opp Bird Paradise, 48111, or Bird Paradise, 48119.
Public routes to Mandai Wildlife Reserve
| From MRT | Service | Alight at | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khatib (NS14) | M2 Khatib Bus, about 20 min | EAST or WEST | $2.50 adult, $2.50 child 7-12, under 7 free |
| Springleaf (TE4) | Bus 138 | Singapore Zoo 48131 for EAST | Distance fare, continues your journey |
| Ang Mo Kio (NS16) | Bus 138 | Singapore Zoo 48131 for EAST | Distance fare, continues your journey |
| Choa Chu Kang (NS4) | Bus 927 | Singapore Zoo 48131 for EAST | Distance fare, continues your journey |
- M2 hours
- Daily 8:30am to midnight
- M2 frequency
- Every 15 min, every 20 min from 11:00pm
- Adult card fare
- From $1.28, capped at $2.57
- Transfer window
- 45 minutes, train to bus
Moving between the parks once you are there
The free shuttle stops before Night Safari opens.
- M1 shuttle
- Free for park guests, every 15 minutes
- From EAST
- 10:30am to 5:30pm
- From WEST
- 10:40am to 5:25pm
- After 5:30pm
- M2 Khatib Bus, runs until midnight
Who should not bother
Three cases where the answer is no.
Two days in Singapore
The zoo is excellent and it is also four hours plus travel, which on a 48-hour trip is a quarter of your waking time in the country for one attraction.
Adults who have done a good open-concept zoo
The marginal experience here is smaller than the reserve's marketing suggests. Night Safari is the more distinctive product; Bird Paradise is the more visually striking one.
Heavy rain forecast
Most of the zoo is outdoors and under canopy, which is fine in a shower and miserable in a proper afternoon storm. Only RepTopia, Reptile Kingdom and the indoor attractions give you real shelter.
What a local knows
The two entrances are what catches people out, not the distance. Bus stop 48131 is Singapore Zoo and serves Mandai Wildlife EAST; Bird Paradise is a different stop, 48111 or 48119, at Mandai Wildlife WEST. The free M1 shuttle that links them stops running at 5:30pm from EAST, which is thirty minutes before Night Safari opens. So the plausible-looking plan of a Bird Paradise afternoon followed by Night Safari leaves you at the wrong entrance with no free shuttle. The fix is the M2 Khatib Bus, which also runs between EAST and WEST and keeps going until midnight. Locals who do Night Safari know to arrive at EAST in the first place.
Questions people actually ask
How much is a Singapore Zoo ticket in 2026?
Standard admission is $49 for an adult and $34 for a child aged 3 to 12. Singapore residents aged 60 and above pay $25. Children under 3 go free with a ticket-holding adult. The zoo tram is included.
Is the Mandai multi-park pass worth buying?
For two parks in one day, yes but only just: the 2 Attractions Pass at $88 saves $19 against a Singapore Zoo and Night Safari pairing. The clear buy is the 6 Attractions 5-Day Pass at $158, which saves about $98 per adult against five single tickets and lets you spread Mandai across separate days.
Which MRT station is closest to Singapore Zoo?
None of them are close. Khatib (NS14) is the practical one because the reserve's own M2 Khatib Bus runs from there to Mandai in about 20 minutes for $2.50. Bus 138 from Springleaf (TE4) or Ang Mo Kio (NS16) is cheaper because it continues your existing fare journey rather than charging a separate shuttle fare.
How long do you need at Singapore Zoo?
Four to five hours if you want to walk it properly and fit in a feeding session. Three hours if you use the included tram to cut out the far loop. Arrive at 8:30am opening rather than mid-morning; the animals are far more active before the heat builds.
Can I do Singapore Zoo and Night Safari on the same day?
Yes, and it is the standard pairing. The zoo closes at 6:00pm and Night Safari opens at 6:00pm at the same Mandai Wildlife EAST entrance, so there is no transport in between. Leave a gap for dinner and remember Night Safari requires a booked time slot.
Is Singapore Zoo the same thing as Mandai Wildlife Reserve?
No. Singapore Zoo is one of five wildlife parks inside Mandai Wildlife Reserve, alongside Night Safari, River Wonders, Bird Paradise and Rainforest Wild Adventure. The operator is Mandai Wildlife Group, which was formerly called Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
Read next
Where these prices and times come from
Every price, opening time and closure here comes from the operator's own website, not from a booking site. Follow any link to check it yourself.
- Mandai Wildlife Group checked 2026-08-02
- Mandai Wildlife Group checked 2026-08-02
- Mandai Wildlife Group, structured data offer checked 2026-08-02
- Mandai Wildlife Group checked 2026-08-02
- Mandai Wildlife Group checked 2026-08-02
- Mandai Wildlife Group checked 2026-08-02
- Mandai Wildlife Group checked 2026-08-02
- Mandai Wildlife Group checked 2026-08-02
- LTA and Public Transport Council fare table, effective 27 December 2025 checked 2026-08-02
- Public Transport Council checked 2026-08-02